Little Gems, Little Moments
by pinchfield
Summary: Shots of gems and moments. SPR team oriented. Expect the unexpected in here! Not the usual oneshots. Humor, romance, wacky situations, horror, adventure etc. Mai/Naru Bou/Miko
1. Hamigaki

_Hamigaki _~ Toothpaste

* * *

I should have known something was off as Naru was paying more attention to me than usual. I brought him his tea and there, his eyes were lifted upwards under his serious brows and they rendered me a little disorientated, since they were focused somewhere near my chin rather than making contact with my eyes.

"Your tea," I muttered and sidled out of the room. Busying myself with duties, I definitely did not notice Naru's tall, black figure standing by the door to his office. I did notice him eventually, slowly, maybe I had sensed somebody was there.

I continued what I was doing without really looking at him, even though I knew it to be strange that he was just standing there doing nothing.

When bending down to retrieve a scrunched bit of paper for the bin, I had a peek through the hair dangling over my face and found he was looking at _me_. Of course, I had known that was what he was doing, but confirming it with my own eyes made it daunting and I prickled with self-consciousness.

I went on with it a bit longer, keeping up the farce that I hadn't noticed him. I turned abruptly, my eyes deliberately averted from his direction but was halted by the fact that he was now standing closer, just two paces away.

_He's followed me. _I am staring at him like a cornered animal.

"What?…" I said slowly.

He's standing ramrod straight. _He's not saying a word._

"What is it?"

_Awkward, my face is blushing. _

"You have something on your cheek."

His voice was quiet and strained. I reach up and touch my right cheek. Naru watched it travel up.

"No," he frowned slightly, "this side."

He lifted a hand to his own face. I moved my hand over to my left cheek. I am staring at him with a questioning look. _Here?…_

"No."

Naru stepped up to me. I looked up. His voice was softly admonishing.

"Here."

He touched by the corner of my mouth and rubbed gently. _He's not looking at my eyes but I stare at his. _

"You've got toothpaste right here…"

His hand dropped away and I remained frozen to the spot. _Toothpaste? _I had come out of my apartment in haste. I hadn't checked myself in the mirror.

I felt horror, embarrassment and wonder all at the same time. I backed away. There was no smirk or scornful look on Naru's face.

"N-naru!"

I stuttered and put both hands to my face. We stared at each other. Well, I gaped and he stared. His face seemed to be morphing into an expression. Maybe one of embarrassment at what he had done, disgust, discomfit, all together.

He stood as if he didn't know what to do. The emotions all faded into a blank mask and he turned away quickly.

The place where he had touched throbbed and glowed. Even as he entered his office and closed the door with a click, I stood without moving.

I had definitely **not **been prepared for today. A slow smile spread across my face. What a horrifying but breathtaking and wonderful morning…


	2. The GUM

**The GUM. **One shot.

The day Mai finds something disgusting under her chair. 

"_Agh!" _Mai brought her hand up from the seat of her chair_. "Eww, _yuck."

A lumpy, sticky, lank, bright pink blob of gum was pressed onto her fingers. Mai flapped her hand. It unstuck and fell onto the carpet picking up fluff and fibre.

"Ergh."

Mai held her hand out like it had gangrene and shuddered at the thought of picking the gum up, and seeing dust and carpet hair sticking to it. She stared at it in disgust.

Naru came out of his office.

"Mai, tea."

He crossed over in front of her. She looked down and the gum was squashed flat, the tread of Naru's shoe imprinted on it.

Mai was furious. It was squashed into the carpet, molded into the fibres, imbedded into the pattern.

It called for a knife, a sponge, water, and soap.

"_Arghhhh_!"

Who had put it there? Who was the culprit? Whoever had done it was going to pay!

Naru watched his assistant go through a number of expressions then throw up her arms with hands like claws. He raised an eyebrow. Now he'd seen it all.

The End of the day Mai finds something disgusting under her chair.


	3. Bzzzzz

**BUYO  
**

There it was skittering around the ceiling.

"_Shoui_, invader heading east. Advance."

"Taniyama-_heitai _initiate attack!"

"Missed!"

"_Heitai_, fall back!"

Naru's eyebrow twitched. He had read the same line ten times. Through the walls of his office, he could hear everything loud and clear.

"Permission to speak, _Taichou_."

That was Mai.

"Permission granted."

Takigawa-san.

"Suggestion of using the Taniyama-_Brutus_-Technique."

"You have a Go, Taniyama-_heitai_."

There was several seconds of silence, Naru could just hear some scuffling, then something thumped against his office wall and made him start. _What the blinking heck!_

"Mission failed, the invader is still on the loose."

"Matsuzaki-_shoui_, commence attack!"

Naru, truly alert to what was happening outside his office, sat still in his seat, the papers forgotten on the table.

"Really this is ridiculous."

"_Shoui_, that is an order."

There was silence again. Naru leant forward ever so slightly. A loud clap split the silence and immediate noises of disappointment.

"Arhh, I missed."

"You were too slow."

"I was not. Darn _buyo_."

_Buyo? _Naru frowned and got up. He was going to put a stop to all this nonsense. He snapped the office door open and was met with a peculiar scene.

"What is going on here?"

All three culprits had stopped what they were doing and were now staring at him.

"Well?" he demanded.

They were all in unnatural stances. Matsuzaki-san had a foot on the sofa, her shoes discarded on the floor. Takigawa-san had a ruler in his hand and rolled up paper to his mouth. Mai held a folded up magazine and was crouching near the coffee table.

"What on earth do you think you're doing," said Naru in a dangerous tone of voice.

Mai pointed to the wall near the ceiling. Naru spotted something flittering and flying in a disorientated manner. Then he understood.

Utterly fed up, annoyed that this little bug could disturb his peace so much, he determined to obliterate it.

He concentrated. The whine of the midge filled his ears and he built his ki until it started to thrum inside him. He let go.

_Zap._

The smoking midge dropped to the floor.

Everyone's eyes followed it to the ground. There was silence.

"Special-Shibuya-_Buyo_-Attack," he said.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Without saying anything more, Naru turned his back and walked back into his office to relish the silence.

* * *

**A/N **It's funny. _Brutus _is an actual magazine in Japan.

Midges be aware. Midges coming into my room, have had me on the war path. XD

_Buyo _- Midge

The words in _italics _are all military ranks.

_Taichou - _Commanding officer_. Shoui - _Lieutenant_. Heitai - _Soldier.

Thankyou **TheAristocrat**, **Angelic Kitsune** for the reviews! I enjoy writing unusual scenes ^-^

Yes! Disgusting gum! But, I assure you, it's better than finding bogeys under ones seat where a certain brother has put them. T.T


	4. Naru to the Rescue!

**NARU TO THE RESCUE!**

Mai hefted one of the monitors into her arms and made her way to the front door. The disaster that followed was unexpected.

Her foot trod on the wire that was trailing from the back of the monitor. The monitor slipped in her arms and the corner hit her knee as she bent because of the tug of the cable under her foot.

She yelped and began to fall forwards. Her knees impacted the pavement and her precarious grip on the monitor's plastic casing was nearly lost. It landed heavily however, on one of its corners.

"Mai!"

It was lifted away from her by Bou-san.

Mai gasped and fell backwards onto her behind. Her hands went tentatively to her knees and she hissed with pain. They were skinned and blood was speckling the wound. They was getting worse the more she looked at them.

"Ow," she whined and rubbed the skin that wasn't damaged with her fingertips.

Naru knelt down beside her.

"Don't do that," he said tersely and moved her fingers away from their administrations. "Couldn't you be a bit less clumsy."

"Well, pardon me," said Mai loudly feeling in pain and snubbed at the same time. She sniffed and tears misted her eyes.

"Look here, don't cry," said Naru. He sighed, stood and hoisted Mai up at the same time by her arms, like she was a child. She was sat onto the wall in front of the house.

"Stay there," said Naru and Mai watched him stalk over to the van. She had an absurd moment of seeing Naru in a normal light. She sat with her elbows locked, her hands clenched on top of her thighs. She leant forward feeling like a little kid being pampered after a stumble.

She waited eagerly for his return. He emerged from the van holding something. He bent, fiddled with whatever it was. Mai couldn't see what he was doing, she was too busy blushing and partially frowning at Bou-san who was grinning goofily at her.

"That will have to hold out until Matsuzaki-san can fix you up."

Mai looked down and her eyes bugged out of their sockets. Two brightly coloured plasters were stuck to her knees. One was yellow and one was blue. She looked incredulous at 'Miffy the Bunny' who was dotted all over them.

Mai ogled then looked up quickly. Naru was already moving away. Mai flushed and stuttered out a quiet thank you. She covered the plasters with her hands. They were so cute but also so, completely embarrassing.

She could only slip off the wall and hope that nobody would notice them. How on earth did these end up in the van? she thought.

_Did Naru use them for my knees on purpose?_ No matter how many times she tried to look into Naru's face to gauge his feelings, she couldn't because he was busy talking to Lin and flipping through some note paper, not looking at her.

Then it happened. The first dreaded comment.

"Nice pair of knees you've got there."

_Why?_ How was she ever going to live this down? Out of all the times Naru had come to her resue, this was the one time she wasn't thankfull about.

_Miffyandfriends~Miffythebunny~Miffyandfriends~Miffythebunny_


	5. Steady Rain

**Steady Rain**

It all started on a rainy day…

Mai watched the water splash at her feet. It was a grey and humid day. She made her way slowly to work under a red umbrella.

She entered the office and made Naru and herself a hot cup of tea. Even though it was humid it was important to keep dry and drink enough.

She wasn't prepared to see Naru slumped over his desk. She put his cup of tea down and looked closely. Naru's cheeks were pallid and flushed.

Seeming to sense her presence, Naru opened his eyes and looked up. "Did you bring tea?" he asked in a tired way.

Mai slipped the cup closer to him and watched eagle eyed as he lifted the cup to his lips. He didn't seem to notice that she was still there, looking intensely at him.

When he had finished, he'd gulped the tea down very quickly, Mai went to stand next to his seat. Naru finally noticed.

"What are you doing," he said.

Mai abruptly held his face and lowered her forehead to his. Naru's eyes widened and his face went completely astonished. Mai frowned. His head was very warm. His eyes had a slight film over them.

They were nose to nose and Mai drew back blushing a bit but worry ate away the embarrassment. Naru had a fever. His normally pale face was flushed. His normally sharp manner was blunt.

"Did you stay here over night?" she said.

"No, I came in very early. Mai, I want more tea."

Mai looked about and ignored him for the moment. The office window was open and let in thick humid air. Naru had his black shirt opened at the collar. His hair was damp.

"When did you get in? Did you walk here in the rain? Look, you're all wet, don't tell me you did?"

Naru thought about it then nodded. "But that's no business of your's. Get tea."

Mai stomped her foot. "I'm not making you tea. I'm going to get you better!"

Naru's eyes cleared a little. "Mai, get to work. I'm perfectly fine." He gathered some scrumpled papers into a pile.

He wasn't fine. He was perspiring.

"Come on Naru. Let's get you onto the sofa," said Mai sweetly. She wondered if he would refuse.

"No."

He did.

"Naru," Mai moaned. "You can't get better like this. What if I made you a cup of earl grey? Would you drink it on the sofa?"

That worked. Naru stood up and walked past her. He dropped down heavily onto the sofa. Mai flung an earl grey together and rushed back. Naru had fallen sideways onto the sofa cushions.

"Naru?"

He didn't say a word back. Mai put the cup down with a clatter and bent anxiously over him. Was he resting or had he fallen into a fever induced sleep?

Which ever it was Mai wanted to get him dry and warm. She fetched her coat and draped it over him. That wasn't enough. The coat was small on him.

Resolution gripped her. Martyr Mai. She'd go out quickly and buy a few things. There was a convenience shop up the street. She rushed out, but first remembered to scribble a note to Lin if he came in. Hopefully, no clients would come. She had to be quick.

Ten minutes later, after a mad dash around the shop, Mai appeared panting at SPR's door.

She had bought a cheap blanket, some herbal tea, some soup and rice. She would make the tea. The tea would do wonders. 'I bet Naru hasn't had any breakfast,' she thought.

Later, she'd dried Naru's wet hair, rested a steaming cup on the table along with a bowl of cool water, and had the soup and rice on stand-by in case he wanted to eat when he awoke.

She sat dabbing his brow with a wet cloth. She'd wiped his arms, neck and face gingerly. She wondered if she should take off his shirt. It was damp. In the end, necessity won over bashfulness. She stripped off his black shirt, very quickly, and tucked the blanket tightly around him.

Silence. The clock ticked and Mai watched Naru's face. His brow furrowed sometimes and then relaxed. She continued to cool his face. She had become Naru's dedicated nurse.

Time went on and there was no change to Naru's condition. The clock said half past eight. Lin hadn't come in yet. The rain beat down and dribbled down the window. Mai fanned herself. It was very humid.

She realized that it was a bit too warm for an office that had air conditioning. 'Idiot,' she thought. 'The air conditioning isn't on. No wonder it's baking!"

She poked her head out of the door and stood stumped at what to do about it. 'Perhaps Lin had gone to see about the air con,' she thought.

At that moment she remembered that there was an electric fan in his office. She flew over and fetched it and soon the air was moving, the fan whirring. She made sure that the air didn't cool Naru's skin and dry the sweat. That would make him cold and wouldn't help break the fever.

It was a waiting game. It was inevitable though that Mai would tire. She sat vigilantly by his head, back straight. Another thirty minutes went by and Mai slumped and rested against the armrest.

The humidity was making her feel drowsy as she just sat. She dragged over a few files and newspapers to sort through and keep her alert. To get herself to concentrate, she read articles out loud.

Naru mumbled something and interrupted her sentence. She dabbed his forehead.

"Mm, not ym, mumble mumble."

Naru's brow was furrowed. He turned his cheek away from the damp cloth and moaned. Mai watched over him and worried. 'I might have to call a doctor if he doesn't improve,' she thought.

She helped him drink more tea and water. Naru shifted under the blanket and opened his eyes. They were unfocussed.

"Mai," he whispered.

Mai leant over him. "Yes, Naru. How are you feeling?"

He was clearly not thinking properly. "Where's Lin?" he asked.

"I don't know but I'm sure he's somewhere around. Do you want anything to eat?"

Naru's face paled at the thought of food. He looked queasy.

"Okay, forget I asked," said Mai. She let him sip water and seconds later Naru had succumbed again to sleep.

Mai sighed. She flicked through a newspaper. Snipped out an article. Yawned. Stretched. Ate a bowl of rice. The food settled in her stomach and satisfied, she sank into the sofa opposite Naru.

The fan whirred in the quiet and rain pitter-patted outside. It was all enough to lull Mai to sleep.

Talking woke her up. She realized that she couldn't understand what was being said and her eyes popped open. The clock said nine thirty.

"No, mumble, not him. _Don't leave me_, mumble, mumble."

Mai's head snapped to Naru. He was talking in distress, his eyes scrunched together. He was still asleep. Foreign words came from his mouth mixed with Japanese. He quieted and even though Mai leant forward ready to catch anything else he said, he didn't talk again.

Mai slid off the sofa and went about dabbing his face and coaxing water down his throat. This was the breaking point. The fever had to give sometime and Mai guessed that it was nearing now as his forehead was hot and his pallid skin looked as though it was sweating freely.

Mai smiled. It would be a relief to see her Naru strong again, eyes alert. The reception door opened so suddenly that the blinds swung and clattered. Mai jumped and dripped water over her legs.

Lin stormed in, face like thunder. He didn't notice her and stood inside the door. He seemed to be waiting for something to happen. A second later, a quiet whoosh could be heard. Mai glanced at the vent near the ceiling. The air conditioning was back on.

Mai got up and clicked the fan off. The blades whirred to a halt. She looked up to find Lin bent over prone Naru. Lin's hair hung in a bedraggled and damp state over his face.

"It's a good thing the air con. is back on. It was getting really stuffy in here," Mai ventured. Lin looked at her. "How long has he been like this?"

"I came in at seven. Would you believe it? He walked here in the pouring rain!"

Mai's narrative had started passive and had turned incredulous. "He's got a fever and it still hasn't broken."

He was worried. Mai could only see the one eye not covered by his hair. It was bright with worry. Lin brought his eye over the bowl of water, cloth and tea.

"Thank you for taking care of him," he said in a grateful tone.

"That's alright," Mai said brightly. "I think the fever has just about broken. Naru should be his old narcissist self in no time."

Lin betrayed Mai's belief that he was a reserved and unaffectionate person and gently tucked the blanket cosier around Naru. He straightened up and was back to his usual self.

The sound of Lin's fingers tapping the keyboard mingled with the sound of steady rain. It was cooler now. Mai could see that Naru was coming around. He was feeling better and Mai was relieved.

Then ten minutes later, he opened his eyes. They were crystal clear bar from the fact that they were confused. Mai smiled widely.

"Naru! How are you feeling?"

She held a cup of water up to him. Naru propped himself up on one elbow. The blanket fell off his shoulders. Mai giggled. His hair had dried into a stiff tangle.

"I feel…" he paused. "What happened?"

"You've had a high fever and have been passed out on the sofa for the past few hours," said Mai. "Don't you know to keep dry on humid days? I was really worried for you!"

"You've been looking after me?" he questioned after surveying the coffee table.

Mai nodded. "Yes. Would you like something to eat?"

Naru slipped back onto the sofa cushions. "No," he said in a blunt manner.

"I think you should, since you probably skipped breakfast. Don't move I'll cook some rice!"

Mai jumped up and left.

"Do as you like. I'm not moving anywhere," muttered Naru.

"How are you feeling," said Lin. He'd stopped typing and had come over.

"I could be better." He forced himself upright. The blanket slipped further off. Naru looked down. "She took off my shirt," he mumbled indiscernible. He saw it draped over the arm of the sofa next to his feet. "Pass my shirt Lin."

He slumped back clad in the wrinkled and limp shirt and flung an arm over his eyes. "Ruddy awful," he said. "How long has she been babying me?" he asked.

Lin chuckled quietly. "The best part of the morning. You make a lovely patient."

Naru huffed and frowned under his arm. Lin went away and let him brood thinking Naru should have been more sensible.

Mai glided over and proffered a small bowl of rice and chopsticks to Naru. "I've made soup to if you want it." She put the bowl on the table.

Naru ate in silence and Mai sat in silence. Mai watched him eat. He took small portions in his chopsticks and eventually he spoke.

"Look. This is too much for one person. Eat some yourself."

The last part came out like an order but Mai was all too pleased to accept. She was glad that he was better. Maybe a 'thank you' would come later, but for now, she was content.

They enjoyed half an hour in each others company whilst the rain beat steadily down outside.

* * *

A/N - Hey! My goodness it's been a while since I've uploaded anything! This was a little oneshot where Naru becomes ill because he wasn't sensible and didn't go to work under an umbrella like Mai did =] Ahhh, it's nice to stretch the writing muscles after having a break. Thanks for reading!


	6. Home Alone?

HOME ALONE?

Mai never knew she had an invisible protector in the form of a house ghost. She had never noticed because she had never recognized the signs.  
Taniyama Mai threw her handbag down. It landed on the sofa cushions with a soft 'whump'. The space in her little flat was clutter free. She was glad to be home and couldn't wait to put her feet and drink a cup of tea.

Flicking the news on for a bit of noise in the place, she changed and with a big yellow mug in hand sat down on the sofa. She let her head drop on the backrest. 'Ahh, finally free of work,' she thought.

The day had been a long slog. It had been filled with grumpy clients interested in only complaining and snooping. An old lady had come in bent over a walking stick.  
'It's my cat,' she'd said. 'He's gone missing and I think he's been murdered by my next door neighbour simply because my little Junko-chan would do his business on his Bonsai trees. They are all half dead anyway. I don't know why he's making such a fuss. Anyway dear, I'm worried about poor Junko's spirit, wondering around lost...'

Mai put a hand to her forehead. She didn't want to think any more about it. She sipped her tea and became drowsy. The newsreader droned in the distance.  
Mai opened her eyes. The ceiling light was swinging above her head. She closed her mouth which had fallen open whilst she'd been sleeping. It had gone completely dry. 'Water,' she thought and got up. She glared blurrily at the moving light. Why it was swinging?

The windows were closed she noted. The front door was locked. No breeze could get in. Mai massaged her neck. It had gotten cramp. The clock in the kitchenette said eight-thirty. So, she'd been asleep for an hour and half. She groped for the remote control, down the crack the sofa cushions made and switched the TV off.

This was the time where the silence was very silent. There was silence as she did her homework. Silence as she went about ironing her clothes. That was why the television was usually left on but not too long since it used electricity and that cost money.

The steam hissed from the iron, puffed into her face, hot and wet. The silence was with Mai no matter where she went in her home. One more night in an empty flat. Thinking of the old ladies Junko-chan, Mai wondered if she could keep a cat. She switched the iron off. No. She couldn't afford one.

Nine-thirty and Mai contemplated bed. She brushed her teeth ferociously with her bright pink toothbrush and made faces at herself. The radio blared through the bathroom door. Mai unconsciously swung her bum to the beat and joined in singing the lyrics.  
Dressed in pyjamas, she knelt solemnly in front of the household shrine. She held for a moment the cold wooden frame which displayed a picture of her parents. She smiled. "Goodnight, mum and dad."  
She pounced between her duvet and futon. The quiet settled over her again. A cat would be nice. It could curl up next to her and purr. Mai rolled over and dozed.

'Stop it,' she thought in annoyance. A cold draft was coming under her cover and onto her thigh. Mai squinted at her futon and flicked the cover back over her exposed leg. She'd forgotten to switch the light off but now she couldn't be bothered to get up but through her eyelids the yellow light fluctuated annoyingly.  
Mai groaned and peeked through one eye ready to see the bulb flickering as the the filament died, but it wasn't the filament that was making the light flicker. The ceiling light was rocking back and forth gently.

She watched it swing. 'Why is it moving?' she thought. It must have been because she was so tired and soaked with sleep; The swinging became hypnotizing. Her eyelids drooped.  
'It's strange living alone,' she thought drowsily. 'You start imagining things.'

Mai snuggled deeper and barely had time to feel that her leg was cold again because she'd dropped off to sleep.

Not***Alone

Mai yawned and rubbed her leg. It had gotten chilled in the night as she'd left it out in the open without the protection of the duvet. Vaguely she thought she'd covered it over in the night but she must have dreamt it. She bent her head and continued reading the book on the table. It was a book written by Yoshino Yako, a spirit medium.

"Read this," Naru had said.  
"Why?" Mai opened it and was confronted with hundreds of pages of solid written text.  
"Yoshino-san wants us to conduct an investigation and I want all the information I can get on her."  
Mai groaned. "Do I have to read all of it?"  
"Yes."

So here she sat, an hour later. Mai massaged her neck and blinked her eyes. Lots of reading didn't agree with her.  
'Mental, trance and physical mediumship. Channeling,' Mai thought. 'I wonder if Masako can do all these.'  
'Clairalience, or clear smelling. This is a medium's ability to smell a spirit. Interesting,' she thought.  
No matter how interesting the book was, it didn't stop Mai's eyes from blurring, and her head aching. Eventually she slammed it shut and collapsed onto the sofa. 'My poor brain,' she thought from amongst the leather.

"I didn't think an idiot could look more idiotic."  
Mai moved her head and glared at Naru through her hair. "I've just been reading none stop for an hour and fifteen minutes. Don't blame me for passing out on the sofa."  
She closed her eyes and buried her face into the cushions.  
"After you're done being indolent. Make me a cup of tea." Naru walked away.

Mai trudged to the kitchenette and made a big cup of tea for herself then lastly, made one for Naru. As she stirred, a memory resurfaced. She put the spoon down and wondered how she had forgotten such a strange thing.  
Placing Naru's teacup down on his desk, Mai strained to think. Had she dreamt that the light in her room was swinging?  
"It's about time."  
She barely comprehended Naru's comment. 'Now that I think about it, it's happened before,' Mai thought.

"Mai? You've left the teabag in my tea." She focused. Naru shoved the teacup towards her unhappily. "Make another and concentrate this time," he said in a sharp voice. "Where is your head today?"  
Mai looked guiltily at the teabag swimming in the teacup. 'Oops,' she thought. "Actually, I was thinking about something that happened... Naru, are you listening?"  
"Of course. I'm right here aren't I."  
"I was thinking about yesterday, how the ceiling light in my flat kept on swinging like there was a breeze coming from somewhere but I know that there wasn't. All the windows were closed."

Naru perked up. She'd caught his attention. His eyes seemed very blue today. "Thinking about it now, it seems very strange. And then I remembered that it has happened before."  
"How long ago?" said Naru.  
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe last week."  
Naru leant forward and smirked. "You've only just noted this as strange?"  
Mai crossed her arms. "Well, yes! I didn't see it as important! What could I have done about it anyway?"  
Naru leant back again. "You could have told me."

Mai snatched up Naru's teacup. "I'll go and make you a fresh one."  
"Mai, wait a minute."  
She halted.  
"At home tonight, if you see these strange things again, tell me straight away in the morning."  
Mai nodded then smiled. "Alright!

Not***Alone

It was six o'clock. Mai had not come straight home. She'd gone out food shopping and delayed coming back for as long as possible. She didn't feel like being at home alone. Now, she sat by her kotatsu (low table) and ate onigiri slowly. She kept on glancing at the lights. None of them moved however. When she finally came to get ready for bed, she was nervous.

She left her window open to let in some background noise. The cicadas were chirping. She lay down and waited. The light hung very still. Staring at the yellow light made her very sleepy. She was woken up by music. She sat up. At first she thought it was coming from outside somewhere, but as her senses cleared she realized that it was coming from all around her. The 'tonks' of drums, the 'clinks' of bells, and the soft sound of the flute wound around her. Mai scrambled for her phone and dialled Naru.

"Naru!" she cried as soon as she heard him pick up. "It's happening."  
The light swung maddly. "What do I do!"  
"I though I told you to tell me in the morning. It's four o'clock, Mai."  
Naru's voice sounded sleepy. "Sorry, but what should I do!"

"What is happening exactly?"  
"I can hear Kagura music and the light keeps on swinging."  
"Anything else?"  
Mai looked around. "No."

There was a pause. Mai looked wildly about to try and see the culprit. She thought about doing the kuji-in (nine cuts) like Ayako had taught her. When Naru spoke his voice was unconcerned. "Baka," he said. "Haven't you realized what it is yet? You're even more dumb than I thought."  
"Hey! You.." Naru interrupted before she could get the insults out.

"It's a _Zashiki-warashi_, Mai."  
"Eh?"  
Naru sighed. "A child household spirit."  
"Oh. How come I can't see it?"  
"_Zashiki-warashi_ can't be seen. It gives whoever lives in the house good luck."  
Mai thought about that. When ever she lost anything it seemed to turn up. "Shame you don't bring any of it to work," added Naru.

"Why you insensitive..."  
"Baka, you've not given it enough attention," said Naru calmly. "All you need to do is appreciate it. Good night Mai." With that, the line went dead.  
Mai stared at the phone aghast. He'd just hung up on her. The cheek! Mai wondered back to her futon and plopped down on it. She chewed her lip.

"_Zashiki-warashi?_" she said, testing the water. The light still swung. She felt a tug on her bedding. Mai gasped. She didn't quite believe it. How could she have not known it was there? "It is you then?"

A warm feeling came to her heart. She watched the light's swinging slow to a stop. Mai smiled. "Thank you, Zashiki-warashi. I thought I'd been alone, but all this time you've been there." The words said into the quiet seemed to be noted. Mai got a feeling of gratitude. She felt sure it was the child she was feeling.

Mai only suffered a cold leg in the morning as it had been _'mysteriously_' exposed. She left the flat for work, paused with her hand on the knob. She opened the door again and called inside. "Until next time. I'm going but I'll be back! Itekimasu!" She bounded off, feeling gleeful.  
A small child peered out of the window and watched Mai go on her way.

A _Zashiki-warashi_ is never seen except for when it leaves the house for good. The house will no longer have good luck, but bad and it will fall into ruin. Mai never saw her house spirit in all the years that followed, but that was a good thing meaning that it never left.

**Note from Pinchfield - **Firstly, good job oneshots don't have continuity :/ Apologies for not updating for a while! I've combined the _Home Alone?_ oneshot, as before it was split into two. So sorry for neglecting writing the third part. If anyone wants an idea of how Kagura music sounds, check out this. It's a youtube vid. - .com/watch?v=Py6Yh02BrYQ


	7. Bog Monster

Written in a moment of madness

* * *

**~The Bog Monster~ **Def. of Bog ~ slang word for toilet.

* * *

**N**aru was on the verge of cursing in English out loud. '_This is ruddy ridiculous', _he growled in his head instead.

"What is this?" he said sharply in Japanese. The small gathering of school girls shuffled nervously before him.

He was at a quandary about walking into this 'only-girls' domain; The ladies toilets. The girls watched him in a wide-eyed silence. One giggled.

Stiffly, he stepped inside and regarded the tiles, sinks and stalls with stoicism. He would deal with this in the most efficient, and quick way, but….

'_How can there be a blinking ghost in the girls bog!'_

Naru massaged his temple. "Which one is it?" he snapped. The girls had ventured inside a little instead of loitering near the entrance and peeked over one another's shoulders.

"It's the one in the far corner," one of them said.

The door of that one was closed. He warily pushed it open. '_Please give me strength,' _he thought.

The toilet was revealed. Loo roll had been drawn from the dispenser and was coiled on the wet floor.

Nobody had cleaned it for a while. Naru wrinkled his nose. He withdrew and looked at the girls from under lowered brows.

"I don't see anything wrong, except that the cleaners have been neglecting there duties. If I was the school headmaster I would…"

The loo glugged. Naru stopped talking abruptly and whipped his eyes back to the loo. There was a rasp down below in the bowels of it and 'blub.' Loo water filled up the bowl, burst, spilled over the seat and onto the floor.

The girls squealed. Naru leapt back. He narrowly avoided getting brackish, regurgitated loo water on his shoes.

'_This is ruddy ridiculous!'_

"Blocked drainage," he sneered. "If you need any help at all, it would be from a plumber."

Naru headed over to the sinks and preceded to wash his hands vigorously. The thought of the erupting loo water made him scrub harder. He would have to change his shoes. His nose wrinkled in disgust.

"Shibuya-san," said a voice. A forthright school girl had stormed up to him and Naru was reminded of Mai as soon as she started speaking in a loud voice.

"This fix doesn't need a plumber but a psychic," she said in an outspoken tone.

"I'm not a psychic."

The girl looked at him in a severe manner. "The girls are afraid to come in here. The school has already had a plumber look around and he's found nothing wrong with the pipes. He declared it a mysterious phenomena."

"The cleaners won't come near it either." The girl beckoned one of her school friends over. "Tell them what you saw, Michiko."

Everyone looked towards a nervous looking girl with long, loose hair.

"I came in after class ended and I could hear gurgling and splashing noises. There was nobody in here with me, I was sure of it. I went over to the last cubicle and asked if anyone was inside."

"I opened the door." Michiko glanced at her friend. "And the toilet bowl was full to the brim with water and it was sort of undulating and making those noises." She stopped her narrative.

"Tell him the rest Michiko," urged her friend.

"Oh, I can't! It was horrible!"

"Then I'll tell it for you."

"No! It's alright, I'll finish."

Michiko took a large breath. "I watched it for a moment. Then something bobbed to the surface and I didn't know what it was. I leant closer to look," she twisted her hands together and went on in a rush,

"Something erupted out, splashing water everywhere. I screamed and ran. I didn't see what it was. It grabbed my jersey so I left it behind."

"When we went to investigate, we couldn't see Michiko's jersey anywhere," finished one of the girls in the crowd.

"Hmm. Interesting ghost story," said Naru in a flat tone.

"Hey! It's true. There is something living there! Michiko could have been hurt or spirited away like her jersey. You can't just leave, we need your help. The ladies toilets will never be safe!"

Naru felt like she was trying to give a rousing speech. He looked at the gaggle of girls that had closed in around him. The girl that had a fiery look in her eyes crossed her arms tightly. _Yes, she's definitely reminds me of Mai. _Michiko and the rest were looking hopeful.

_Blinkin' hell. _Could he even refuse?

He stepped outside a few minutes later and breathed a lungful of fresh air. Yes. He would call someone to do the dirty work for him.

~GH~

"Who is going to volunteer?"

Mai and Takigawa-san expressions were disbelieving.

"Look Naru, I know you said there was an exorcism to do, but this…" Bou-san peered inside the ladies toilet from the doorway. "It's forbidden territory."

Mai peered around Bou-san. "This is a bit different than usual isn't it?" she said with an urge to giggle. Naru glanced at her in a way that said 'be quiet'.

Together, she and Bou-san entered the girls toilets.

"It's the one at the end," said Naru. "I'll be back later."

"Hey wait! Where are you going? You're going to leave us here to do it all?" said Bou-san.

"I will and I am." With that Naru left the room.

"That hoodwinker. He's left us to do his dirty work," muttered Bou-san.

"He's left _you_ don't you mean. I can't do exorcisms remember," said Mai.

Bou-san frowned. "Hmm, you're right. What use are you then?"

"I can be your moral support," Mai chirped. "Go Bou-san!" She danced further into the room.

"Careful!" Bou-san grabbed Mai's arm as she slipped on the water on the floor. They both observed the last toilet cubicle.

Mai stretched out an arm and the door creaked open to reveal the toilet.

"Stand back." Bou-san cracked his knuckles. "I could do with something to sit on but looks there's nothing, unless you're up for being used as a stool Mai-chan."

"Not likely!"

Bou-san chuckled and cracked his knuckles.

**Ten minutes later…**

"There we go. That's done the trick!" Bou-san looked down into the toilet bowl and reached out to close the lid.

_'Glug_' it went and Bou-san didn't notice, he was too busy boasting. "It didn't stand a chance. Hehe. Not with my skill…" Suddenly, the water in the bowl receded then spurted back up.

Becoming like an arm made of water, it coiled around Bou-san's arm. Without warning, it sucked Bou-san's arm down into the toilet.

Mai's eyes boggled. "Bou-san!"

Bou-san gave a cry of disgust. He tried to tug his arm out but it wouldn't budge. The water just sucked it back in. His face was getting closer and closer to the toilet seat.

"Help me Jou-chan!" he yelled.

Mai grabbed hold of his other arm and heaved. Her shoes squeaked and slipped on the wet floor. "I've got you Bou-san!" Mai shrieked. "Try and pull!"

"What did I do to deserve this!" wailed the monk. "This is…" he paused turned his cheek to the splashing water, "this is ridiculous. My head won't even fit down the toilet! Save me!"

Mai burst out laughing. Her grip weakened on Bou-san and she slipped on the wet floor.

"Bou-san!" she shrieked. "Don't make me laugh! I'll lose my grip!"

"What? Why are you laughing!"

"It's just funny!"

"Oh really! This entire situation is hilarious! Just get the 'monk' to exorcise the monster in the toilet. Just watch him get sucked down the loo and drowned. Just go ahead and laugh!"

Mai bent double with laughter and struggled, then without warning, Bou-san was released and the loo water sprayed everywhere and all over them. Their cries were cut short.

"Oh." Mai panted and held her arms away from herself as they dripped water. She gaped, tried to talk but ended up being speechless.

Bou-san spluttered. "Jou-chan," he wheezed. "You're all wet." He bent and started to laugh hard.

Mai felt her lip twitch. "What sort of ghost is this!" she tittered.

"I dunno! But what's the matter with it, can't it find a better place to haunt than a toilet!" Bou-san leant against the stalls, weak.

"Maybe it died on the loo?"

"Maybe it has unfinished business!"

"Unfinished business?" Mai raised her eyebrows.

"Of the 'Number Two' kind!"

"Bou!" Mai cried and choked on laughter. It was rude but it made Mai laugh all the more. She couldn't see for tears. Bou-san looked up, caught her eyes and let out a hoot.

This is what Naru came into a second later. **-.-' **(Naru)**  
**

"Am I interrupting?" he said blandly.

"No!" they both cried together and choked on their laughter. Mai jammed an elbow in Bou-san's side. "Stop it now. Naru's glaring at us."

Bou-san spluttered.

"Why are you both wet?" said Naru. Mai and Bou-san erupted into snorts.

"_*Snort*_ 'Why' he says," Bou-san lifted his arm feebly. "My arm."

"What about it?" Naru snapped.

"My arm was pulled down the toilet," he said, his voice half a sob.

"Pull yourself together, Takigawa-san."

There was a few moments of giggling and gasping.

"Did you manage to exorcise it?" said Naru stonily.

Bou-san swiped some toilet paper and blew his nose. "Nope."

Naru frowned unhappily. "The ladies toilet can't be cordoned off for too long."

"If you'll excuse me. Before I have another go, I need to wash." Bou-san said abruptly. He stepped to the sinks and started to wash his face, hands and arms vigorously.

Mai followed suit and there was a moment of quiet only broken by splashing, the occasional giggle and Bou-san muttering.

"_Disgusting, fancy this happening today, bad luck ne_… Ahhhhhrg!" Bou-san gave a loud yell as the tap on the sink he was using, sprayed water up into his face.

He scowled water dribbling off his chin. "Now that was uncalled-for," he said, face completely humourless.

He went to stand in front of the haunted cubicle and then he psyched himself up, muttering to himself. "_Yeah. You want what's for? Come on then. Come and get a chunk of monk_."

Mai backed away to stand next to Naru. "Ne, do you think we should leave him to it?"

Bou-san drew in a breath and screamed "THIS BOGEY IS GOING DOWN!"

**One week later…**

"Are you still getting fan mail?"

Bou-san, Ayako and Mai lounged on the sofas in the SPR office.

Bou-san flipped his phone shut. He leant back on the sofa and grinned at Ayako.

"You perverted monk," said Ayako hotly.

"Hey, hey, it isn't my fault. I exorcised the ghost into oblivion, the girls were very grateful. Besides, I deserve a bit of fame for a change."

Mai giggled.

"You," said Bou-san. "You are still tickled by the whole thing."

"Bou-san being pulled down the loo. It's emblazoned in my mind," she said.

Ayako snickered. "Now, that is what I'd have liked to have seen."

~GH~

a/n I hope that it was mad enough :D


	8. Gakisan!

_Continuing the madness...  
_

* * *

_Saiaku ~ _The worst

* * *

"Daiki-chan. A pleasant, sweet, lovely…" Mai's sentence started off in a sweet tone of voice. It went on for a bit but then gradually changed in pitch and meaning to this. "…Brat, pain in the ass. _**Even** - Worse_ - _Than - Naru_." Mai finished with a low, sarcastic growl.

"Wow there Jou-chan. What's with that tone?' Bou-san said. Mai growled at him. "Ayako-chan, I think Mai needs a rabies booster."

"What did you call meee!" Ayako screeched. "I am not that close to you!"

"Make that two shots. One for the crazy woman as well," said Bou-san with a laugh.

Ayako came at him, hair ruined, face marred by graffiti. Bou-san couldn't blame her for having a bee in her bonnet. He pulled at the dried super glue on his hands.

"Little brat put glue on that ball," he muttered.

"You think that's bad! LOOK AT ME!" Ayako pointed viciously at her own face.

Bou-san examined her. "Big eyelashes, purple eye shadow, mauve lipstick, war paint. It all clashes darling," he said with relish.

"And look what that little twerp wrote!" Ayako scrubbed at her forehead, but no matter how much she tried, the hiirigana wouldn't come off.

"OBAA-CHAN," read the monk.

Ayako went red. "Ooooh!" She threw herself onto the nearest sofa and buried her head in the cushions.

"What childish behaviour," Masako said smoothly from where she appeared at the door. She glided in. Impeccable timing Masako, as always.

"It will happen to you next," said Ayako from amongst the sofa cushions. "He's picking us off one by one."

Masako smirked. "At least, I would have the decency to behave according to my age."

Ayako muttered something unintelligible. Bou-san fiddled with his glue encrusted shirt buttons. Mai planted her cheek on a fist and scowled. She had a blush-like swirl drawn on each cheek with a pink permanent marker, two sloppy pigtails in her hair and the word GUJUN (stupid) on her forehead.

"Evil, evil," murmured Mai.

"Mai-chan." A sweet, boyish voice filtered through to the living room where they all hid.

Mai jumped up, eyes wide. "It's him! Quick. Escape!" She made a rush for the door. Bou-san dived behind the sofa. Ayako sagged defeated, face down on the cushions. "Go on without meee,' she moaned. 'There's no hope.'

"Don't worry old girl. I'm right here,' said Bou-san. He reached over the back of the sofa and patted her back.

Masako watched indifferent.

"Mai-chan?" A young boy of around six came into the room. Ayako stiffened, camouflaged in her red suit on the red sofa.

"Daiki-chan?" Masako cocked her head. "Taniyama-san isn't here."

"Where is she?" His big blue eyes shone with innocents.

"She went that way." Masako gestured daintily with her sleeve. Daiki grinned and set off at a run. "Mai-chan! Come and play with me!"

Along the corridor a voice yelled, "Traitor, Hara-san! Iiiaaaaaaaaa! Dame desuuuu!"

Masako hid her smile behind her sleeves.

"Evil woman," said Bou-san as he peered over the sofa. "You would betray us all. You're on the dark side."

"If you can't beat them, join them. When I'm on his side I'm immune," she ended with a pretty laugh.

"Damn it all to hell," muttered Ayako.

GH

A little later, Naru walked into his bedroom to change his clothes. Someone had set up a bucket on the bathroom door so that when it was opened, flour poured onto his head and suit.

Then when Naru had taken a quick shower afterwards, someone had sabotaged his shirt, putting glue on the buttons so he couldn't undo them and put the shirt on.

He retreated to his room, topless, but when he opened the wardrobe, he froze. All that was hanging on the hangars was one, oversized T-shirt. He grabbed it enraged.

Then it struck him that it wasn't a plain T-shirt. On the front were the katakana 'PAKUMAN'. Below was the familiar yellow pacman with its mouth open towards two cherries.

Naru's temper boiled over. There was nothing else for him to wear. He dragged it on, tucked the baggy ends into his suit trousers and sat on the bed. He wouldn't go out of the room. That was it. Then no one would see him. He'd call Lin and have him swap for a shirt.

One problem. His mobile phone was gone. He patted down his trouser pockets again with disbelief.

"Crap" he bit out. Mind made up, he stormed over to the door, ready to find and give the little brat Daiki a piece of his mind.

He entered the corridor.

"Naru! Help meee!"

He froze on the spot and whipped his head to the left. Mai froze in front of him, and her eyes locked onto the T-shirt. She looked to have totally forgotten the reason for her call for help. The brat was squirting water from a water pistol at her.

Naru had stunned her senseless. He took some pride in that. He quickly read the word stupid on her forehead. Accurate, he thought.

What Naru didn't expect was for Mai to burst out giggling at the sight of him. Naru turned red, did an about turn and barricaded himself in his room. He vowed never to come out again.

GH

Masako was going about the house of their client's feeling pleased with herself. None of the others had any sense. She smiled and felt deliciously smug.

Alas, pride comes before a fall. Masako sat down in the living room and awaited her cup of jasmine tea. It wasn't until she'd drunk it and was moving to get up, that she realized something was wrong.

"Oh no," she breathed. Her kimono was stuck to the chair. She stood and whole chair followed her. "Oh no!"

Meanwhile, Lin stared at the background of his laptop. It had come out of stand-by. He'd gone to the loo and left it unsupervised. He blushed furiously.

Someone had changed the laptop's background from a functional blue to the girls of Ichigo 100%. They stared at him, all wearing revealing bikinis.

This was to be the worst case SPR had ever had to deal with. They were challenged not by a ghost, or poltergeist, but a boy called Morisaki Daiki. Not one of them survived unscathed, except for John who was visiting his family in Australia at the time. He was too find it very amusing when he found out what happened to Masako.

Poor Ayako. She had to go to a spa for a week to recover. Mai bounced right back of course, after the fake blush marks had worn away.

Lin couldn't get the picture of the bikinied girls out of his mind for days had been traumatized when she had to be extracted from the chair, so she went away from the public eye and went on holiday to recover.

Bou-san suffered from a phobia of six year olds for a while and wrote a song about it for his band and Naru, well, he sulked for ages, humiliated from having to wear the T-shirt.

Poor SPR.

* * *

_Saiaku no jitai wa mou owaru ~ _The worst is over now

* * *

A/N There is an actual Japanese T-shirt like the one Naru had to wear. This is the url if you would like to see it ;) FF keeps on messing up my url *pulls hair out* Just put a fullstop/period where the word DOT is.

[ cdn**DOT**8ball**DOT**co**DOT**uk/tshirts/pacmant-shirt-japanese_1_109594_black_l**DOT**jpg ]

_Dame desu!_ - (Definitely) no or don't.

Thanks for reading :)

Thank you pad-annie, MagicalMagician, anon, giraffe-wickedness, lil whit for your reviews of chapter seven! Hooray for the SPR hilarity^^


	9. OCRD

Oliver Craves a Roast Dinner.

There was something to be said about a roast dinner. Lovely crispy and fluffy potatoes, roast beef that melted in the mouth, salty parsnips, soft carrots and meaty gravy.

That was what Oliver wanted. His mother's roast potatoes and gallons of warm gravy. He kept on thinking about it, it kept on tormenting him.

Sat behind his desk, he found himself unknowingly looking into space and imagining a roast dinner. No fish, no rice, nothing of that sort. Just a Turkey- mulled wine- bread sauce- potatoes. You wouldn't be English without potatoes just as much as you wouldn't without tea.

It was Sunday today. When he was still in England his mother would do Sunday Roasts. It was getting near to Christmas so Oliver missed it all the more. He sat down that afternoon with a hot cup of tea and couldn't help thinking of England as he drank the English blend of tea leaves.

He couldn't cease thinking about it as the day went on. So there he was, sitting and looking into the distance with a slight smile on his lips.

**.**

**.**

**.**

Mai peeked around the door. She saw Naru looking without focus with a yearning, wistful expression and a smile on his face. It took her aback. She heard him mutter something in a foreign language.

She repeated the words after him.

"Po-ta-e-to?"

"Cri-si-pi?"

She couldn't understand a word he was saying. Thinking he had been working too hard, she closed the door to and left him with his thoughts.

**Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Everyone**

* * *

This is short, but I just had to post it. I face palmed myself yesterday for forgetting. There's nothing like a good roast dinner on Christmas day :) Thank you for reading.**  
**


	10. Grave' Danger

'Grave' Danger (TheKubikajiri)

It was cold and misty. The sky was covered by cloud.

Mai shivered behind the gravestone. She clutched her skinned, bleeding knees and panted against her skin, letting salty droplets of sweat slip between her parted lips.

Fear.

It was terrible. Her heart thudded so hard, the pulse point at her neck throbbed. Her eyes felt as though they were popping out of their sockets and her mouth was bone dry.

She had never been so tense! Her face was painfully taut, her ears strained to hear every whisper of noise.

Her back, soaked and chilled, rested on the marble gravestone behind her. The skirt she was wearing did nothing to warm her trembling bruised legs.

Mai swallowed thickly. After keeping still for so long, her knees ached for movement. Quivering like a leaf, she twisted around and revealed a dilated brown eye, wide with terror, out into the open that flickered from grave to grave.

A crunch from somewhere made her seize with fright. She gasped and concealed herself again, rocking on her heals for a second before she stilled and clamped a silencing hand over her mouth.

Lightening quick, panicky thoughts flittered inside her head in an incoherent torrent. Blind for a moment, she sat frozen, not able to breath, unable to think.

From out of the depths of terror, one thought surfaced above the rest. She clutched onto it.

**She had to move.**

She dropped onto her hands and knees, carefully crawled to the next grave head, then scrambled frantically across the ground, picking herself up onto her feet as she went, bent double. She dived behind another grave and listened.

Footsteps.

Mai smothered a moan. She scrunched up her face, and forced herself to think rationally, but no calm thought came to her. _Please. __**Please! **__Don't come any closer!_

She could hear shuffling footsteps. _Please Naru, help me! _She turned her creased, tearstained face around the edge of the gravestone and choked on a cry. It was _there!_

How terrible and atrocious. A human scalp dangled from its long, bony fingers held by the sprouts of hair. Mai shook violently, her mouth open in a silent scream. It had no head. Where the head should have been there was just a stump of a neck. Its body was grey, naked and wrinkled. Mai clapped a hand to her face and gagged on its reeking stench.

Thoughts shrieked inside her head. _Kubikajiri! Somebody - Help me! Naru!  
_

_**Rin Pyou Tou Sha Kai Jin Retsu Sai Zen!**_

The mantra was muttered quickly in her mind, but her throat couldn't make a sound, her tongue couldn't form the words. Even more horrifying was the fact that the words didn't work! This was a monster! It wasn't a ghost, but a living breathing creature!

Nothing could save her. Nothing.

Weakly, she stumbled backwards. It followed, stumbling on the corners of gravestones. Hungry. Starving for her head. Mai tripped, collided with a headstone which rocked and fell cumbrously to the ground with a thud.

The _kubikajiri _was instantly upon her.

"_Iieeeeeeeeeeee!_" A scream tore from her throat into the night. She covered her head and cried shrilly under them. Grotesque hands pulled at the neckline of her clothes.

"_Naruuuu! Naruuuu!"_

"**Mai!**"

Her heart leapt.

He was here. A dark shadow charged out of the fog toward her. She screamed his name, and was snatched away from the monster into his arms. The ground twisted and spun, then stopped. Her face was buried in Naru's heaving chest.

_Naru. _

"Hold on Mai!"

She sobbed, her fingers bunched in his clothes.

"Stay with me!"

They were running, tripping, with the Kubikajiri in pursuit galloping across the ground. Naru dragged Mai behind a grave and then was gone. She was left alone. Mai shivered in the cold hollow and barely acknowledged the bright, orange light that illuminated the graveyard. A horrid, pungent smell filled her nostrils and she went into a paroxysm of coughing.

She stood up and gripped the side of the stone. A pillar of fire was rushing up into the sky and beside it was a tall, black figure glowing around the edges with orange light.

Naru.

Mai couldn't breath. The fire snuffed out with a dull boom, mist swirled in the air and Mai ducked her head. Her knees buckled, but arms slipped about her.

"Mai." His voice was next to her ear. His breath swept across her earlobe. "It's alright."

They sat against the grave together. His eyes flickered with orange light and pale, long fingers touched her cheek tremulously. Both their hearts beat against each other.

"Naru." His name came from her lips in a breath as she stared at his face which was dirty and open with emotion.

It was over. She sat in his arms, relieved. Black remains were all that was left of the monster, and even that was smouldering to nothing, small flames licking at it. She sat with Naru and he held her in silence, the breeze stirring his tousled hair.

Mai lifted a hand, and brushed some grey ash off his fringe. She felt raw and on the edge of a deep precipice - only - she was safe and being held. His arms kept her from falling into the abyss.

"Thank you, thank you," she whispered.

Naru held her hand. A warm feeling spread from her stomach to her chest.

It was over- and here she was, sat at the crook of Naru's arm, safe, with his brow resting against hers, his eyes looking into her own. Safe.

What a day…

* * *

A Kubikajiri is a creature of Japanese folklore. It likes to eat heads. 0.0

I hope I conveyed how fear can make what is happening go so fast and feel so raw.

Thanks for reading!


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